Surface water sports are sports in which the activity is performed on top of a body of water. Surface water sports can include such activities as sailing, boating, wakeboarding, tubing, water skiing, bodyboarding, kite surfing, windsurfing, paddleboarding, and surfing. Surfing is a surface water sport in which the rider, termed a surfer, rides on the forward or deep face of a moving wave. Typically, surfers use a watercraft, termed a surfboard, to ride a moving wave. The surfboard maintains maneuverability on the surface of the water by being lightweight and having minimum friction between the surfboard and the water. Further, for the surfer to successfully execute a ride on the surfboard, the surfer must possess great skill, precision, and balance.
A surfer may be better equipped to execute a ride on a wave if the surfer could study characteristics of his/her ride on a wave. It may be desirable to measure a surfboard's velocity, distance, altitude, rotation, orientation, movement, and location during a ride on a wave. However, carrying all of the electrical devices required for these measurements on a surfer or surfboard may be cumbersome, potentially reducing the balance and precision of the surfer and the lightweight and water-gliding characteristics of the surfboard.
Thus, there is a need for an improved and useful apparatus and system for detecting and sharing characteristics of a ride on a watercraft. This invention provides such an improved and useful apparatus and system.